Siraj Sikder
The Proletarian Party of East Bengal produced and published the original Bengali document on April 1972 as the editorial of the theoretical party organ Lal Jhanda Issue no 1
The Communist Party Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Bangladesh translated the document in English and published it online via www.sarbaharapath.com on 5 November 2013. Party edited the translation on 27 December 2016
30 April is the Armed Force Day of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal, 1 May is the International Labor Day and 3 June is the Proletarian Party of East Bengal Day.
One year before, in 30 April in Payarabagan of Barisal district, for the first time in the history of East Bengal, a proletarian-led regular armed force developed under the direct guidance of comrade Siraj Sikder. Thus, a new chapter opened in the history of revolution of East Bengal and that of the seizure of power of East Bengal by the proletariat. In this way, the fundamental problems of armed revolution was solved including the forging of a regular army in the history of East Bengal, carrying of guerrilla war by regular force, carrying of propaganda work among the people, establishing of the political power of the people and resolving of their land and other problems; the properly combining of the democratic struggle with national struggle; the building of the village defense force, local guerrilla force and regular force by arming the people; organizing of them in peasant liberation co-operative, women liberation co-operative and other mass organizations; the developing of party organization in the army; the properly combining of the military work in the army with the political work; the extending of army; the forming of base area and extending it; the providing of the arms, food, clothes and fund; the resolving of the encirclement and suppression problems; the command problem of the army, the problem of the leadership of the party and enemy encirclement and suppression in the whole region etc.
As a result, party achieved maximum valuable experience, which is extremely important with far reaching significance for carrying revolution.
The proper solution of these problems has been possible by the direct leadership of our respectable leader comrade Siraj Sikder. He combined the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought with the particular practice of the revolution of East Bengal and successfully solved the above-mentioned problems and carried fame for the proletariat and people of East Bengal.
Chairman Mao said, “There can be no revolution without a revolutionary party”. He further added, “Without a people’s army, people have nothing.”
It is the revolutionary political party of the proletariat armed with Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought, applying criticism-self-criticism and linked with the people, which (the party) alone can lead in forging an armed force that protect the interest of people.
The Moni Singh-Mozaffar revisionists of East Bengal, the Liu Chao Chi-Khrushchev of East Bengal Huq-Toha,, the Jyoti Bose-Nambudripod Deben-Bashar-Kazi-Rono-Bodruddin-Amol, the Trotskyite-Guevarist Motin-Alauddin and various of other forms of revisionists betrayed with Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought, proletariat and people and also betrayed with the supreme tasks of revolution like forging a revolutionary party and an armed force that protects the interest of people.
Consequently, for a fairly long time, the people of East Bengal had nothing. They had to helplessly suffer the extreme exploitation and repression by the Pak military fascism.
With the aim of establishing a proletarian class representative revolutionary political party, the proletarian revolutionaries led by Comrade Siraj Sikder rebelled against various forms of revisionists, and on 8 January 1968, established the East Bengal Workers Movement.
Since the very moment of formation, the East Bengal Workers Movement and the Proletarian party grasped the most important task of forming a proletarian class representative revolutionary political party and its-led armed force that protects the interest of people.
The East Bengal Workers Movement persisted in revolutionary practice and advanced through zigzag path of success and failure. The organization passed through such type of crisis situation that at a certain period of time, only comrade Siraj Sikder alone remained to hold high the flag of revolution. He firmly continued to carry on revolutionary practice.
By making the test of practice and combining the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought with practice, comrade Siraj Sikder produced the correct political, military, organizational and ideological line of the party.
The East Bengal Workers Movement, being guided by a correct line, recovered the set back. The organization developed in various districts of East Bengal.
From the beginning of its formation, the East Bengal Workers Movement concentrated on forging armed force as the main form of reorganization under the party.
Guerrilla group was formed under the leadership of the political commissar; command under the party committee was built to guide the guerrilla groups. Guerrillas were given political education. Apart from fight, they were given important teachings like carrying propaganda among the masses, organizing them, arming them, establishing their political power, building party organization among them and recruiting guerrillas from them.
As a result, guerrillas always carried their work by firmly being under the party leadership. These are the guerrilla groups who led bomb attack upon the Pakistan Council Center, US Information Center and BNR, and for the first time, national enemy annihilation was carried in Fatikchari.
In the critical political condition of March 1971, the organization marched ahead on the correct path and called on the people to take armed struggle by leaving the incorrect path of non-violence non-co-operation.
In the post 25 March period, the leadership of the East Bengal Workers Movement, especially comrade Siraj Sikder, by not fleeing to India, went to rural area to carry the people’s national liberation war. Under the direct leadership of Comrade Siraj Sikder, the great struggle of Payarabagan was carried and the example was established of carrying liberation struggle of East Bengal on correct path based on self-reliance; and the political, military, organizational and other lines of the East Bengal Workers Movement proved correct in the test of fire of practice.
Comrade Siraj Sikder correctly realized the presence of the necessary conditions for establishing a political party of proletariat of East Bengal. Therefore, the historic decision of establishing the Proletarian Party of East Bengal was taken in the meeting of the leading cadres of the East Bengal Workers Movement. In the midst of the roaring artillery fire of the Pak military fascists, on 3 June 1971, in Payarabagan, the Proletarian Party of East Bengal was established.
After the formation of the party, the national liberation war of the people of East Bengal led by the Proletarian party of East Bengal spread in many districts like prairie fire, and the conditions for assuming the leadership of the people of the whole East Bengal developed.
During that time, the Indian expansionists’ stooge the six mountains’ lackeys, by being armed by India, infiltrated and asked us to dissolve our party, surrender arms and be food for their artillery.
In the mean-time, Deben-Bashar, Kazi-Rono, Bodruddin-Nazrul and some other variants of revisionist factions, under the shelter of Jyoti Bose-Nambudripod, formed the so-called “Co-ordination Committee”. They tried to allure us.
Huq-Toha, Motin-Alauddin in the name of opposing the Indian expansionists and their lackeys, colluded with the Pak military fascists and became their Razakar [Razakar was a genocidal notorious local armed force of the Pak military fascists in East Bengal comprised of mainly the Islamist goons – Translator].
The Moni Singh-Mozaffar revisionists became the tail of the six mountains.
In such a critical situation, comrade Siraj Sikder correctly called to maintain independence and sovereignty of our party and guerillas, and not to forge any unity by leaving independence and sovereignty. He analyzed the Awami League and the Liberation Force (the Awami-led Liberation Force – Translator) as six mountains’ lackey and asked to keep caution while having discussion with them.
He exposed the anti-Marxist step of forming the “Co-ordination Committee” and called upon the proletarian revolutionaries inside the co-ordination committee faction to dissolve the faction and join us under our leadership.
He exposed the treacherous activities of Huq-Toha-Motin-Alauddin.
That time, Comrade Siraj Sikder made caution to the cadres at different fronts regarding the six mountains’ lackey fascists, and sent order to them to work secretly being merged with the people by changing the method of work.
But the cadres of various fronts failed to properly abide by these important orders. So, they became the target of the six mountains’ lackeys. Various bases were lost, numerous cadres and guerrillas lost their lives and lots of arms were lost. Our-led national liberation war of the correct path got obstructed.
In this critical situation, comrade Siraj Sikder, in various documents like “Several documents on present situation” no. 1 & 2 and “Six mountains’ lackeys disguised as patriot”, gave correct order to oppose both the Pak military fascists and the six mountains’ lackeys, continue guerrilla war, use mass support and make disciplined retreat. As a result, the correct political orientation of the cadres continued in such a complex situation.
In that time, confusion arose among the intellectuals of East Bengal regarding the foreign policy of the great China. Those documents and comrade Siraj Sikder through various discussions, put forward the correctness of the foreign policy of Chairman Mao. That is why there was no confusion in our organization regarding that question.
At the critical situation of the Indian expansionist attack on East Bengal and seizure, comrade Siraj Sikder made timely analysis through “Finish the unfinished national democratic revolution” document and put forward present task.
Comrade Siraj Sikder produced the “Open Letter” to inform the broad masses about the situation through tactical propaganda by keeping our principle intact.
It made great public opinion and worked as the first propaganda paper against the Indian expansionism and its puppet Bangladesh government.
In context of the new situation of East Bengal society, on an urgent basis, party managed to hold the First National Congress. Consequently, cadres got clear idea on domestic and international matter. Congress elected the First Central Committee of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal and successfully completed its task.
Within a short span of time after the congress, the re-deployment of the party cadres was successfully accomplished, and party’s political, military and other lines proved correct in practice.
In the meantime, comrade Siraj Sikder produced the document “Complete the national democratic revolution” in edited and corrected form. It was managed to publicize among the broad masses. It is a great historic political program of the struggle of the people of East Bengal against the Indian expansionism, Soviet social imperialism, imperialism and six mountains’ lackeys.
In course of the complex situation of the East Bengal society, the Proletarian Party of East Bengal developed as a correct, united and single-centered political party of the proletariat.
On the other side, variants of revisionists have fallen in serious crisis. They are alone, affected by internal contradiction, splintered and bankrupt.
Comrade Siraj Sikder made a timely call to the proletarian revolutionaries to unite with the Proletarian Party of East Bengal by rebelling against the various forms of revisionist leadership.
During the twenty years after East Bengal’s joining Pakistan, the various forms of revisionists, without any obstacle, betrayed with Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought, revolution and people of East Bengal and world.
Comrade Siraj Sikder rebelled against them, led the proletarian revolutionaries in struggle against the various forms of revisionism and established the East Bengal Workers Movement. For the first time in East Bengal, he produced the correct political, military, organizational line and method of work.
Under his correct guidance, the East Bengal Workers Movement advanced through crossing innumerable adversities. The East Bengal Workers Movement completed its historic role and established the political party of the proletariat the “Proletarian Party of East Bengal”.
During the post 25 March complex situation, in the emerged serious problems as a result of Indian occupation over East Bengal, that is, in the midst of severe storm of the time, the party advanced in correct path led by comrade Siraj Sikder and achieved extensive valuable and far-reaching significant experience.
As a result of the success of the past and present and hard effort, the condition has been created to develop the proletarian party of East Bengal as a whole East Bengal-wide mass-based party.
The success and the victory of the East Bengal Workers Movement and the Proletarian Party of East Bengal has been achieved as a result of the creative application of the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought by comrade Siraj Sikder in concrete practice of East Bengal.
On Armed Force Day, International Labor Day and Party Day, the cadres, guerrillas and sympathizers of the whole party sincerely wished long life of comrade Siraj Sikder and further successful application of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought by comrade Siraj Sikder.
The whole party comrades should strengthen unity and discipline under the central committee led by comrade Siraj Sikder and strengthen the single center in party. They should firmly abide by Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention, develop whole East Bengal-wide mass-based party, carry on armed struggle and unify the proletarian revolutionaries. They should further revolutionize themselves, continue to work by being firmly promised to be fearless in sacrifice, overcome all the difficulties to achieve great victory, materialize the dream of martyr comrades and people.
The whole party comrades must attentively study and practice works of comrade Siraj Sikder and activate firmly his directives.
The whole party must promise to achieve the above-mentioned targets while observing the Armed Force Day, International Labor Day and Party Day.
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Long Live Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought!
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Long Life, Long, Long Life to Chariman Mao Tsetung!
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Long Live the Proletarian Party of East Bengal!
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Long Live Comrade Siraj Sikder!
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Long Life, Long, Long Life to Comrade Siraj Sikder! ■